While congratulations are indeed in order, as the birth of a child is one of the most special moments in a father’s life. And it’s good to learn that baby and mother made it through the delivery process in good shape. And while a father being present for a child’s birth should be expected under no uncertain terms, it proved to be a hectic 24-hour period for Ginobili, given the Spurs had just played Sunday night, beating the Dallas Mavericks 90-85 to take a 1-0 series lead.

Not only that, Ginobili deserves to be commended for his demonstration of commitment to the Spurs as well following his wife’s delivery.

It has been reported that Proud New Papa managed to extricate himself from the special family moment and was able to make it to the team’s Monday practice shortly after the birth. That’s dedication to a cause.

While impressive indeed, one person who wasn’t blown away by Ginobili scrambling to make to practice was head coach Gregg Popovich, who downplayed the effort required by Manu to be there for his teammates.

“He went in there this morning and a half hour later he was back at practice. Pretty efficient guy,” Gregg Popovich said, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “I told him, ‘Manu, you didn’t do anything. Your wife is efficient. You’re not efficient. You didn’t do anything.’”

An accurate assessment by Pop. Sure, racing to get to practice is one thing, but delivering a child in an “efficient” (?) manner is another thing entirely.

It’s nice to see that Popovich is back to his usual cantankerous self. Not that it wasn’t a wonderful moment when he expressed heartfelt sentiments on Sunday about Craig Sager, who has been diagnosed with leukemia, during an interview with the veteran reporter’s son during Sunday’s game. It’s just that a world without an ornery Pop is a less interesting and entertaining world to live in.

Although I wonder if Popovich at least was somewhat cheerful when he learned he had been named the NBA Coach of the Year on Tuesday. Odds are he couldn’t care less. But that’s Pop for you.